Shih, 15 others indicted over Oct. 10 `siege'

A DAY FOR CHARGES Shih Ming-teh and his codefendants were accused of not getting a rally permit, as was Legislator May Chin, while two DPP lawmakers face trial for slander

By Rich Chang / STAFF REPORTER

Taipei prosecutors indicted former Democratic Progressive Party chairman Shih Ming-teh (施明德) and 15 others yesterday for violating the Assembly and Parade Law (集會遊行法) for unregistered protests during last year's Double Ten National Day.

Shih launched an anti-President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) campaign last August to urge Chen to resign.

On Double Ten National Day, Shih led thousands of red-clad protesters at a rally outside the Taipei Railway Station and claimed to have "besieged" the Presidential Office.

The indictment said the anti-Chen campaign organizers had not applied for a permit from the Taipei City Police Department to hold a parade or rally on Oct. 10 last year, as required by the Assembly and Parade Law.

Prosecutors said the police had put up warning signs and broadcasted requests to the organizers to get their followers to leave, but the protesters refused to move.

Among those indicted with Shih were Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Kuo Su-chun (郭素春), People First Party Legislator Shen Chih-hwei (沈智慧), former KMT legislator and Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs Director Lee Yong-ping (李永萍), Taipei City Research & Development Evaluation Commission Emile Sheng (盛治仁) and New Party Taipei City Councilor Lee Hsin (李新).

During Shih's month-long anti-Chen campaign last year, Lin told a press conference that Shih had left his supporters at an overnight sit-in rally to go to a hotel to sleep.

Wang Shih-cheng was indicted for telling another press conference that Shih's campaign was acting under directives from Chinese authorities and that Shih had sent representatives to China to report to the authorities there on the protests.

Shih sued both legislators for slander last fall. Prosecutors said the pair had failed to supply evidence to prove their allegations.

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